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Shaping a Djembe Bearing Edge

The bearing edge is one of
the most critical factors in determining the sound that comes from a djembe, it
is also one of the most vulnerable areas.

The
bearing edge is the very top of the drum
and lies under the skin when the drum is complete. It makes the join between
the head and the shell,
or rather it marks clearly the defining line between the shell and the head. It
is important that the edge is level because any unevenness or torsion will
manifest itself in unwanted overtones/harmonics, buzzes, difficult tuning,
potential damage to the head or your hands and a whole host of other
irritations.

It is
not uncommon for authentic African djembes to be purchased with poor edges, it
is also not uncommon for edges to pick up damage in playing, transit or storage,
either way, if it's not level or in good condition, it is a relatively easy
matter to fix, unlike it's drum
kit
counterpart which is a specialist's job.

It is
not uncommon for authentic African djembes to be purchased with poor edges, it
is also not uncommon for edges to pick up damage in playing, transit or storage,
either way, if it's not level or in good condition, it is a relatively easy
matter to fix, unlike it's drum
kit
counterpart which is a specialist's job.

The
following assumes that the djembe is stripped down to the bare
shell.

To check
for unevenness or damage, place the djembe shell upside down on a flat surface
and check for areas where it is not in contact. If these are relatively minor,
you can use woodfiller or a mix of wood glue & sawdust to fill in any low
spots and sand to shape when set. If there is a lot of work to be done, it is
probably advisable to re-work the entire edge. This should take about 30
minutes.

Take
your shell outside and find a nice flat concrete paving slab. Place the shell
upside down on the slab and gently rotate the drum, it's not as easy as it
sounds but there is an optimum pressure and hand position for you that you will
quickly find. As the drum is rotated, the slab acts like sandpaper and wears
down the wood. Stop and check the edge often and you will see which bits are
being sanded and which are yet to be affected. keep going until the surface is
level. All you have to do now is shape the edge.

Do a 'thumbs up' sign.
If you look at your thumb in profile from the inner knuckle to tip, you will see
that it has a particular shape that bends gently at first and more sharply
towards the top until it is horizontal. That is the shape that you want the
outside of the edge to be.

The top
of the edge should be level for about 3-4mm before inclining sharply down the inside of the drum, this clean edge inside
allows the head to vibrate freely whilst the outside profile gives the player a
comfortable surface to play on.

To do
this you use sandpaper, either manually or on a machine, to sculpt a new edge
from the old one based roughly on the shape of your thumb.

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Paul is the owner of Drumdojo and the Dojo Sites, He is responsible for writing and collating a lot of of the material that you see here on drumdojo.

Playing drumset since age 5, Paul has been a drummer on and off for most of his life. He plays every drum he can get his hands on. Paul works as an instrument designer, has designed many instruments for the Stomp orchestra and more recently in Holywood Movies. Paul is a prolific web designer and currently has a portfolio of around 40 business and hobby sites.